A native Hoosier, Dr. Karsan is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, where he won awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for undergraduate biomedical research. He then earned his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and completed both his internship and residency at Boston University Medical Center.
Following his residency, Dr. Karsan completed clinical fellowships in both gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. While at UCLA, he received additional specialized training in advanced endoscopic procedures, including ERCPs, interventional endoscopy, and liver transplantation. He also pursued advanced clinical research training at UCLA and conducted clinical research in gastroenterology with several world-renowned physicians.
At UCLA, Dr. Karsan was nominated for Teaching Fellow of the Year by the Department of Internal Medicine and received awards including the American Gastroenterological Association Gastroenterology Research Group Award. He has been the guest speaker at various national and international medical conferences for more than two decades. In addition, he has been featured as a medical expert on WebMD, has been interviewed in print by the Associated Press, and has also been featured in television and radio interviews.
During his career, Dr. Karsan has authored six peer-reviewed gastroenterology textbooks and has written numerous manuscripts published through the NIH on PubMed® in well-known medical journals. He is also the co-author of the American College of Gastroenterology’s Guide to the Guidelines, part of a three-volume series offering insights to ACG clinical practice guidelines. Dr. Karsan has also served on the editorial boards of multiple gastroenterology journals, including both his role as associate editor of The American Journal of Gastroenterology and as editor of the publication’s notable Red Section.
His support of ongoing medical education includes serving as a director of the national Gastroenterology Board Review CME annual course, based upon his Acing the GI Exam textbook series, for GI physicians seeking to obtain or maintain their medical board certifications. In addition, he serves as chair and course director for the United GI and Liver Conference, an annual CME event which offers relevant advances in GI disorders and chronic liver disease to GI and hepatology providers.
Dr. Karsan is the current Chair of the Credentials Committee for the American College of Gastroenterology, serves as an International Governor, and is also the currently elected Governor of Georgia for the organization. In addition, he serves as Adjunct Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine – the highest position awarded by the dean of the university’s medical school. Since 2019, he has been recognized as one of Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors™ through their physician-led, research-based selection process.
Dr. Karsan is an active member and has been elected fellow in each of the following organizations: the American Gastroenterological Association, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American College of Physicians, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.
He joined Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates in 2003 and is actively involved in clinical research for his primary focus of patient care.
